Lose Weight – Messianic-ly

There are certain milestones during the year that motivate people to recommit to losing weight, exercising, being nice to their friends, finishing that book, etc. These could happen after the summer, around Rosh Hashanah and New Years. Sometimes, after an excessive eating binge on a vacation or after coming out of winter hibernation the motivation to get things in order pops up again.

I’ve been accused of being an inconsistent exerciser.  Although I’ve gotten much better at consistency, it’s pretty much true.  The reason for this is that I have a greater tendency to do other things than putting on my running shoes and klappin kup down the BeltLine. 

It’s an ongoing battle; subduing my nature to bend to the the will of my deeper self. And so it goes, year in year out, the yoyo exerciser, the yoyo dieter, etc.

There are others who create that inner transformation.  They are no longer yoyos because they have become a different person.  They don’t struggle with food or exercise because they have worked so hard on themselves to change that or because they have had a nirvana awareness that moved them to a different zone.  (Don’t feel bad if this isn’t you.  It’s pretty much a gift that one receives – we call it Divine Grace – or it’s born from a negative situation.)

When the Jewish People left Egypt in this week’s Torah portion, they had to flee from Pharaoh and the Egyptians.  (Even though if you read the text and the basic commentary, it seems like they were pretty cool about it.  However, the Torah tells us in next week’s Portion, that Pharaoh heard that the People fled.)

In regards to the Exodus from our current exile, the Prophet tells us, “For not with haste shall you go forth and not in a flurry of flight shall you go – Isiah 52:12”. 

The contrast between these two exoduses is the distinction between forcing oneself to do the right thing and creating inner transformation.  

In Egypt, the spiritual negativity was so pervasive that the Jews themselves were affected by it. They needed to run to ensure that it didn’t catch up to them. 

When we are ready to leave this exile, the material world will have been transformed.  We will have succeeded at uncovering the inherent goodness in the material world around us and won’t need to run.

The Rebbe told us that we are on the threshold of the coming of Moshiach.  And while the world could look in many ways that we are far away from any kind of herald of goodness, if we look closely we can see an amazing transformation taking place.

Today’s youth demand authenticity.  The intense emotional state of today’s society is us dealing with the underlying issues that have been buried for so long. We’ve dealt with the big issues, now we’re dealing with the real issues.

Old traditions that were adopted on account of rigidity and fear are being exposed and a deeper, more profound connection with what is real and true is being embraced.

This coming week we commemorate and celebrate 71 years since the Rebbe accepted the leadership of Chabad.  I believe the above message is what the Rebbe was trying to get us to see.  As the layers are slowly stripped away, the clarity is becoming more visible. 

We are living in glorious times, we just need to open our eyes, see it, embrace it, be part of the change and together we will welcome Moshiach!

Good Shabbos!

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